HCN is formed by the photolysis of ammonia in the presence of acetylene at room temperature. There is a 70% decrease in the yield of HCN when the temperature is lowered to 178 K and two new reaction products, acetonitrile and acetaldehyde ethylidenehydrazone (6), are formed. Photolysis of 6 yields acetonitrile, and the hydrogen atom initiated deeompasition of acetonitrile yields HCN. Aziridine, a predicted reaction intermediate, was not detected at 298 or 178 K. Oligomers of acetylene are also formed. Oligomers formed by the photolysis of ammonia in the presence of acetylene were shown by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to contain NH groupings and to differ from those produced by the direct photolysis of acetylene. The possible role of these photochemical processes on the formation of HCN and chromophores on Jupiter, Titan, and comets is discussed. 10-38765 from NASA. The Model 1800 FT-IR was a gift to the Chemistry Department from Perkin-Elmer. Preliminary studies were performed by Dr. H. Khwaja, and we thank him for the design of the CaF2 cell. We thank Dr. F. Raulin for bringing the abstract of Masanet et al. (1982) to our attention. Registry No. 1, 151-56-4; 6 , 592-56-3; HCN, 74-90-8; NH,, 7664-41-7; CH,CN, 75-05-8; HCECH, 74-86-2; acetylene (homopolymer), 25067-58-7. (70) Wijnen, M. H.
The formation of HCN and chromophores are two of the major unsolved problems of the atmospheric chemistry of Jupiter. The question to be dealt with is the same in each case: how can these unsaturated organic compounds be formed in the highly reducing atmosphere (89% H2) present on Jupiter? The photolysis of ammonia/acetylene mixtures provides an answer to this question. Here we report the formation of both HCN and chromophores along with experimental data which support the premise that this photochemical process provides a route for the formation of both substances. It is not clear whether significant amounts of HCN are also formed by lightning on Jupiter.
ChemInform Abstract At room temp., UV photolysis (185 nm; at 206 nm much lower yield) of NH3 in the presence of acetylene (maximum yield at ca. 8:1) leads to HCN and brown oligomers of acetylene, thus providing a plausible solution to two previously intractable problems concerning the atmospheric chemistry of Jupiter. At 178 K there is a 70% decrease in the yield of HCN; however, at this temp. MeCN and Me-CH=N-N=CH-Me are formed. Aziridine is not detected at 298 or 178 K.
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